31 August 2010

Yeah, these cats are French, but the sheer size of their balls makes them eligible for Colorado citizenship. The margin for error on that descent is, indeed, minuscule. Go over the edge and you'll likely beat the rest of the guys on bikes to the bottom!

I'm no mountain biker, nor do I make any claims as to my (lack of) singletrack prowess. I just like cool vids like the one above!

Went out for a spin last night and discovered that some fitness seems to be welling up inside me. The meds are working better, and my change in diet seems to have quelled the coup d'etat in my GI tract, so I've begun to push a bit. The last couple of rides, I've made the effort to, well, make the effort. Slowly wicking the pace until it's someone near the entrance of the cave...and it hasn't been so bad. I have another poke and prod procedure on Thursday. This one involves me swallowing a pressure sensor attached to a string. Large quantities of H2O are then forced down my gullet to discern the pressure within my esophagus and to determine whether the muscles surrounding it are working properly. Sweeeeeet! Can't wait...

30 August 2010

Nothing much to report here. Didn't ride yesterday, but changed out the crossbars on my roof rack. 48" bars went away in favor of 58" bars. Thhought for a moment about using the 78" bars I have laying around, but it would have looked re-donk-u-lous! With the 58" setup, I can carry 5 bikes on the roof. Likely never will, but nice to know that the option is there.Smashed the piss out of my hand and bled a little bit of my own blood. Also wicked up the flame on my OCD during the install. Minute measurements, making sure everything is square and straight and OCD just do not mesh well. I must have walked around my truck, eye-balling it and whipping out the tape to measure, a good 35-40 times.

I did take the M.T.s to the rivertrail so they could ride. #1 is cautious and tentative. He just rode as I jogged beside him. #2 has a little bit of downhiller in him. He bolted down one section of trail, crossed the bridge and made the 90 degree turn at the bottom...all at about 20mph. Sure, not fast by our standards, but for a 3 year old on 12" wheels and no brakes, it's hauling ass! The H.O. yelled and screamed for him to slow down. As is the norm, it was a waste of breath on her part.

The Vuelta started...I watched the TTT, but haven't taken the time to see any more. Maybe tomorrow...

#2 is off school all week, so my morning rides have been shot in the keister. Guess I'll be riding in the evenings, when it's not cool outside. Great...

27 August 2010

Makes the two hours I spent on the dirt this morning look like...well...flat and smooth dirt...

It was a peaceful, albeit not so easy loop on the cross bike this morning. I actually made the effort to put it somewhere near the pain cave on this section of dirt. 15 minutes rolling @ 35kmh on the dirt. I guess I must have been riding hard, because I didn't notice my computer head pop off. Some of you can probably figure out where this is, and you are more than welcome to saddle up and come with me next time. It's big fun...

Evidently, people are a bit fired up about Cross Vegas not having equal prize money for the men and women elite riders. Waaaaaaahhhhhh! Get a freaking tissue! Title IX run amok and creating entitlement. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the female of the species being competitive, but in reality, folks just aren't ponying up to watch the WNBA. The league is subsidized by the NBA. What makes $ in college athletics? Football and Men's hoops. The money made from those two sports pays for ALL of the other sports programs. Hell, at Carolina, the baseball program operates in the red...and they're NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!Back to cycling...Adam Myerson is putting on a cross race with equal $ for the men and women. Guess how many women have registered thus far? ZERO! Adam made a commitment to them, yet no commitment has been returned. He puts on an entire series of races in the NE and people are calling him out for broaching the subject of female participation. To me, equal payout doesn't mean equal money. If 75 guys register for a 35+ race that pays 15 deep, the payout should come from the monies collected for that particular race. Same if 12 women show up for their race. The promoter needs his piece to cover expenses, but there are sponsor dollars to defray that expense. Hell, I've been to races that have had payouts 10 deep, and 7 women show up! The ratio should be on a money in/money out basis. It's simple math!

And speaking of racing, Fulspeed is doing the Vista Grand Prix on September 26th, down in the Vista. Shorter course this year, show it should be fast and furious. I will not be toeing the line, as it's against Doc's orders, but I'll be there shooting pics.

As for me, I had yet another appt. with yet another GI Doc this morning. More tests/procedures in the coming days, but it looks like we're getting things figured out. Probably will go under the knife in the near future, but if it fixes the issues I'm dealing with, "Cut me Mick"!!!I did get a ride in yesterday. Felt like shit, but that's pretty par for the course these days. Ups and downs...

I also finished a build for client yesterday afternoon. I neglected to take any pictures prior to delivery...dammit! I can say though, for the $, you just cannot beat the Motobecane Fantom Pro cross bike. $999 shipped!!! Sure, there are things that could be better on it and the factory pre-box build could be better, but those things are easily taken care of upon receipt. Try to source the frame and build kit for less than a grand...I dare you! Oh, and before you crap on it for being mail order, it's the exact same bike, other than the wheelset, as the Fuji Cross Pro. And it's $1649!!!

Anyway, time to pick up the offspring @ their respective schools...peace!

22 August 2010

Just in case any of us think we can handle a bicycle in a proficient manner, please watch Brian Lopes in the video posted below. It's four and one-half minutes, which should be plenty of time to re-assess your own abilities.

My little brain doesn't work fast enough to assess all of the incoming information. Lopes must just turn it off and flow. I felt like I was in the speeder bike, forest chase scene, from Return of The Jedi.

Did a nice ride out into Calhoun County yesterday. There's a way to get out there now that avoids all of the WC traffic, which isn't nearly as bad as those who flatly refuse to ride out there falsely believe. The only thing we got buzzed by yesterday was a short-legged Beagle. And we went out with the headwind and came back with the tail...what a novel idea.

Now it's time for some yardwork. The back yard is looking like winter wheat...

20 August 2010

19 August 2010

Michael Creed...if you don't root for this guy after reading this article, then YOU have a problem. He's brutally honest and a stand-up guy. If I was running a team, I'd want 6 of him!

Think Spartacus can do the double? The only reason he didn't do it last year was the fact that the rest of the peloton feared him. I think they covered his move to the bathroom.

Rode the Ridley yesterday...it was really weird. I've been riding my cross bike on the dirt for the vast majority of my rides, so the road unit felt truly odd under me. I could tell the difference in the Q-factor and it just felt 'light'. I felt tired, but just spun @ 22mph w/o much problem. I also rode the 3x/32h wheels with Vitt Open Paves. Like butter...

The Salsa got the call again this morning. Thankfully, I remembered to stick the fender on the back, which was a savior. It was WET down in the fields. I don't mean a 'dew-on-the-grass' kind of wet, but more a 'where are my swimmies' kind of thing. I also spied another dirt road that NEEDS to be explored...maybe Sunday.

Off the bike tomorrow and on the roadie for Saturday...

I hate GEICO, as they largely suck as an insurance company (ask Mrs. Der Kaiser), but this is just funny!

Sorry this was a lame update, but then again, not all of them can be superstars!

17 August 2010

Here's the Heathwood cross loop. It was VERY wet this morning, as you can see by the water flipping up in front of the camera. Oh, and I apologize for the vid. The camera is on a hard mount, connected to the bars, so parts are shaky...nothing I can do about that...Watch until the end and you see me almost get popped by a pickup truck! COOOOOL!Barriers and some 'esses' will be added to the course, so the 6-6:30 laps may become 7+ minute laps. Of course, the grass is heavy down there right now and it's WET, so the loop may get faster later on.

And last Sunday, I scouted some dirt on in WC and ended up on the 12th St. extension beyond I-77...it's paved all the way out now, and blocked on both ends. Looks like a good spot to do a little bike practice...

An interview with Ted King. He's cool and seems to have a bit of the 'old cloth' woven into his tapestry.

Here are 'The Rules' again, for those who missed them, or have forgotten one (or more)...

An observation from me, myself and I...-If you do not remember the time in cycling that pre-dated 'The Lance Era', do not use the words 'OLD SCHOOL'. Unless you've watched Tchmil crush skulls in the 94 Roubaix, just be quiet.

Rides:Did 2.5 with La Gata and Rochester yesterday. Felt great until we stopped for H2O. 1/2 of a bottle of cold water, on an empty stomach is bad news. I felt BAAAAD for the last 30 minutes or so. Good ride though....big fun.

Up and at 'em early this morning. Insomnia shook me awake at 0330, so I got up @ 0530 and was on the bike @ 0630. Nice ride out through WC while El Sol cracked the horizon. Stopped down by the river for a moment to enjoy the solitude, then home. Nice to be done and showered by 0900!

Gonna try to get video of the cross course again tomorrow. The mount seems very solid now...we'll see!

12 August 2010

Okay, so remember that Lizard Skins tape I installed on the Salsa? Yeah? Well, it sucks a mile of ditch water.The package touts it as having 'superior grip', even when wet. That's a fallacy of the highest order. It's as slick as seal shit on an ice flow. Now granted, I don't wear gloves when the temps are above 50 degrees or so, unless I'm in the woods or racing, but that shouldn't matter. With my usual Deda tape, there's no fear associated with holding onto the handlebars. This morning, once I'd worked up even the smallest bit of moisture on my hands, the Lizard Skins tape became glacial. Holding onto the tops of the bars was an exercise in grip strength. My right palm is actually bruised from my effort!It may be perfectly fine with gloves, or in a situation that dictates no sweating will occur, but in 90 degree heat, with bare hands, look elsewhere. Oh, it's $30+ dollars too, which also makes the seat of my pants hurt a bit.

It's getting pulled off and replaced with something cheaper, and better. I'll hang onto it and try it again when the weather cools down, but for now, I just cannot recommend it.

Oh, and the video from this morning's jaunt looked like an epileptic with Tourette's shot it. Gotta sure up the mount a bit to stop the shaking...

10 August 2010

A recumbent, a MUT, a bee sting, a yard sale into the greenery...And why the hell is he wearing bike shorts on a redundent? Your taint is nowhere NEAR the seat!!

I went out and spun on the cross bike this morning and actually felt a bit better. It was foggy out in the fields this morning, making my trip a bit eerie when making blind turns in a corn field. My clean cross bike is now sullied again...I did re-tape the bars with Lizard Skins DSP Race tape this morning, post ride. It goes on easy enough, has plenty of material for deep drop, 46cm wide bars and feels plenty grippy to the initial touch. We'll see...I'll do a review in a couple of weeks.

08 August 2010

6 rides in 5 days last week = no ride for the kid today. Instead, I climbing onto the roof and spent a solid hour trimming/limbing our 100+ year old Hickory tree. No stopping the constant, Kabul-esque bombardment of the harder-than-diamond nuts on the roof, but the limbs needed to go. After limbing it out, it took me another hour to drag all of the debris to the street. Cross training? Close enough...

Oh, I also spent a solid hour cleaning my cross bike. It stays dirty and it's a bit of a badge of honor, to no one in particular other than me, but it just needed some love this morning.

05 August 2010

I was going to write something in this space about the Lance doping investigation and how it compares to douchebag baseball players, but I really just don't feel like getting into it. If you follow this blog at all, you know my feelings about Lance and his doping issues...never failed a test BTW! You also know my feelings on baseball players (juiceheads...all of them), so I'll just turn and quietly shuffle away...

Did someone throw a grenade? Check this video...

Taylor Phinney meets the Dutch pavement...welcome to the show kid...

I've done a bit of riding this week. 5 rides as of this morning, including a double yesterday and a spin this morning. Nothing of note to write about other than the new pavement on Dixie is sublime...I also broke a cleat last night about 30 minutes into my second ride of the day. I could still clip in and out, but the cleat itself was moving fore/aft with reckless abandon. Probably my own fault (@99%) since I modified the baseplate so it could be placed further aft on the shoe. Luckily, it didn't damage the shoe itself. Although I do need to call my lovely Anglo/Italian bird @ Diadora UK to see what she's up to...

4 years ago yesterday, our good friend Big Jonny got smashed from behind by a drunk driver while out for a spin. The big man was in bad shape for a long while. Fortunately for all of us, he back to normal (hard to determine a baseline) and nearly finished with his high falutin' Law School learnin'. Jon is a good man, a good husband and a great father. The World is better b/c he's still in it.

Speaking of good things, La Gata picked up her newest and bestest buddy this week. My pal Billy was the good do'er that got the ball rolling for the little pup.

Trying to decide what next week will hold, as I will be single parenting. The H.O. is going to Colorado for a conference. Yeah, you enjoy the front range, I'll hold it down here in the hellhole.

03 August 2010

BIG ups to Bond for throwing down at Master's Nationals and pulling off a 4th in the TT!! Fucking Beast!

Did a nice little Vitamin D ride this morning. A few really good, deep in the well efforts thrown in for good measure. The meds seem to be handling my GI issues and the throat 'procedure' has allowed me to actually get a breath. Now it's time to work on getting some fitness back.One the plus side of this whole GERD/GI/esophagus thing, I can't eat about 50% of what I used to eat, so the weight seems to be fairly dropping off. I'm 7 days post-op and have dropped 4 pounds...

Il Prof is trying to resurrect the old Thursday ride...with a twist. 6:15 from the circle, but doing the Iron Cross instead of the old Bunky's loop. Be there...

And if anyone is interested helping me put on a cross race, let me know. I have permission to use two locations in town. Both are good spots...

01 August 2010

No ride for the kid yesterday, as it was #1's 5th birthday. I REALLY needed some sort of narcotic yesterday, legal or otherwise. A half dozen rugrats descended on our humble abode, and squealed for the better part of two hours. I haven't had an alcoholic beverage for the better part of ten years, but I was tested yesterday!My afternoon was spent sleeping off my headache...

This morning, I went out to my double secret spot to get some Vitamin D. I ended up with a lot of Vitamin M. The rain over the last few days made it a bit damp back in the spot. I've learned that I really like riding in the slop. I also learned that Kenda Small Block 8 tires are NOT the best choice for slippy, red-clay mud. I eyeballed my line, turned to hit it and the mud just forced me where it wanted me to go. Pedal, pedal, pedal and I was out. I repeated this scenario 4 times in the course of 400 meters.The ride was big fun though, and as the title suggests, it had a little bit of everything:Mud- As I mentioned...Blood- Some sort of vine jumped out and grabbed my arm and made me bleed my own blood.Wild animals- A couple of little snakes and some BIG, fresh, bobcat prints in the mud.Flat rear tire- I need more than 50 pounds of air in a rear 32c tire when bombing the railroad yard.RentaCops- Some railroad jackass in a minivan hassled me while I was mid flat change. GFY man!

And here's a tip for the couple that almost got run over when they rode through the light @ S. Assembly and Rosewood. STOP AT THE FUCKING RED LIGHT!!! The woman, who was on a Roubaix, didn't even look as she crossed and caused some guy in a Saturn to lock it down to keep from killing her. She was giggling as they passed me. I'm a cyclist, through and through, but if the car would have popped her dumb ass, I would have been on the cager's side.And we wonder why we get honked at...Both were obviously newbs, judging by their attire (straight out of Performance) and positions on the bike, but it's no excuse for riding like a Dervin!